There until you're not
by DarkestWolfx
Summary: Ethan was the safety net. Cal was the destructive button. They set each other off, but they were brothers regardless. It was their duty to be there until they were not.


Sorry I've been away a long while. I have little to say about this.

* * *

He was there. Even if he was the shadow.

He waited and he watched, he sometimes intervened.

He teased and he tortured. He came and he went.

He was there until the day he wasn't.

But he'd _always_ come back.

* * *

Cal recovered first, guaranteed, every time in regard to anything. Ethan was always slower to get back on his feet, but smarter at getting his brother back. Except he _never_ did.

Ethan succeeded, always, it didn't matter what it was. When Cal failed he comforted him sincerely, honestly. When Ethan succeeded, Cal struggled not to reject him for all he saw was a silver spoon.

They both got upset. They both lost control. Ethan, Cal, they were two parts of the same puzzle, what one held in stronger weight was the other's shorter fuse. They both fought each other, but their levels of strength varied massively. Ethan's was in words Cal's lay in his fists.

Cal likened them to Cain and Abel. Ethan liked to think the past was never that grim.

* * *

He was there. Even if he wasn't wanted.

He waited and he wished, he learnt not to get in the way.

He suffered and he stayed. He fell silent and he fell hard.

* * *

He was there until the day it seemed he wouldn't be.

But he'd _always_ give in.

* * *

Cal was there when it worked for him.

Ethan was there regardless.

When their mother fell ill, he was the one giving it all up. He was the one holding her hand, watching her die and when he needed to be there, in that _one_ _real moment,_ he was not; Cal was.

When there were things he couldn't, no _didn't_ want to face, he upped and ran away. He tried to leave things behind, yet was never able to let go. He'd run closer and closer to destruction and do exactly that.

He'd always been the killer.

He'd always been the carer.

When there were things he couldn't handle, there was only ever one person he'd dared think to call. The one he loved, who was always there, who was always there and always would be. Ethan answered angry or not and eventually always came to his aid. It didn't stop them fighting, but it was the way it was.

When there were things which went wrong, the repair fell to him. He'd stopped thinking to call on anyone else, for the one person he wanted to call never answered the phone. They text pointless, meaningless words. He'd lost faith in trying to rely on the one person who was there, because they just weren't. It never stopped him being the repair wing for a broken boomerang.

Ethan was there because he _couldn't_ help it.

Cal wasn't there because he _could._

* * *

He was there. He was there to the point of forgetting.

 _He was there. He was there to the point of remembering._

He shouted and forgave, he was reliable in every way

 _He fought and he played, his help meant nothing in most ways._

He insisted and he investigated. He was right and hardly ever wrong.

 _He dallied and destroyed. He name-called and just moved on._

He was there until the day he wasn't.

 _He wasn't there until the day he was._

He wasn't there when he was truly unable to be.

 _He was there when he was truly needed._

* * *

They were brothers.

They would _always_ be brothers until they were not.

They'd _always_ be brothers in blood.

There until they were not.

 _A day which has nearly come too many times._

* * *

Notes (I rarely include these as they're more related to my thought process, but...);

With the use of _dallied_ I am referring to it's second and implied usage of 1. Sexual relations and 2. Dallying over an idea. You can think of it in terms of its usual meaning, but these are the ones I had in mind when writing.

 _"Until they were not"_ is a reference for death, namely the death of one, but not the other.

 _"There until they were not"_ is a reference to their abilities to assist each other.

There are so many references for Ethan helping Cal, the obvious ones I was thinking of for Cal helping Ethan are the major ones, so the crash and the... What I will call secondary crash.

Thank you for even reading this small, pretty pointless piece. I felt inspired and finally have some time on my hands again.


End file.
